Need a solution for a worn pto splined shaft/female coupler for KUTBOTA L24DT

[Soundguy]

make sure it is true, if you are welding a coupler.

 

[jimwilly]

I have an update.....I attempted to fit the new flange without tearing anything apart & found that my pulley is not drilled to accept the
new flange bolts nor will it insert fully into the pulley because there is a raised section.
Because the PTO splines are damaged I could only get the flange to fit over part of the shaft.
I guess my options are to;
1) remove the pulley & have the raised section machined out & then drilled & tapped.
2) try & get the correct pulley
3) put 2 bolts through the raised section & drill the 3rd bolt hole with a stack of washers in the gap, this option would use very little
of the existing splines & rely mostly on the bolts to transfer power.

 

[Soundguy]

have it machined and never worry about it again.

 

[jimwilly]

Sorry for the delay for anyone following this thread but I finally got my FEL working!
I managed to find a new front pulley that's designed to work with the flange adapter.
After removing the battery & tray, draining & removing the radiator.....all the time with mosquitos biting me...
I purchased a 46 mm deep impact socket & 1/2-3/4 adapter I broke my 1/2 drive flex bar trying to remove the pulley nut.
Next I used my 1/2" Craftsman ratchet & a long pipe but the clutch would slip when loosening.
Next I installed a vice grip on the pulley only to have a piece break off as the pulley is cast iron & brittle.
Next trip.....I purchased a 3/4" drive 18V Makita impact wrench & got the pulley nut off in just a few seconds.
While using my 3 armed pulley removal tool I broke off another chunk of the pulley.
I saw a picture of a different removal tool that uses 2 bolts threaded into the threaded holes in the pulley.
I eventually got the pulley to start sliding off the crankshaft end only to find the front casting did not have enough room for the pulley removal.
It appears I would have to remove the whole front axle & subframe at the front of the engine to replace the pulley.
Plan B...
I took my damaged PTO shaft to a local machine shop & asked for a new spline to be welded in place of the old one but 1/4" longer
to take advantage of the undamaged crankshaft splines.
So far so good, I tapped the new coupler in place with some lithium grease inside & everything mated up perfectly.
I gave the FEL a good workout to the point of the back wheels up in the air & still works.
Forgot to mention....before I installed the PTO shaft I installed a new fan belt as I can't change it later.
I know the pulley looks like **** but seems to work just fine even with the missing chunks as its not bent or anything.
I still have the the new pulley, bolts & flange if this repair doesn't last but hopefully I wont need them.

 

[DLTTrekkers]

Sorry for the delay for anyone following this thread but I finally got my FEL working!
I managed to find a new front pulley that's designed to work with the flange adapter.
After removing the battery & tray, draining & removing the radiator.....all the time with mosquitos biting me...
I purchased a 46 mm deep impact socket & 1/2-3/4 adapter I broke my 1/2 drive flex bar trying to remove the pulley nut.
Next I used my 1/2" Craftsman ratchet & a long pipe but the clutch would slip when loosening.
Next I installed a vice grip on the pulley only to have a piece break off as the pulley is cast iron & brittle.
Next trip.....I purchased a 3/4" drive 18V Makita impact wrench & got the pulley nut off in just a few seconds.
While using my 3 armed pulley removal tool I broke off another chunk of the pulley.
I saw a picture of a different removal tool that uses 2 bolts threaded into the threaded holes in the pulley.
I eventually got the pulley to start sliding off the crankshaft end only to find the front casting did not have enough room for the pulley removal.
It appears I would have to remove the whole front axle & subframe at the front of the engine to replace the pulley.
Plan B...
I took my damaged PTO shaft to a local machine shop & asked for a new spline to be welded in place of the old one but 1/4" longer
to take advantage of the undamaged crankshaft splines.
So far so good, I tapped the new coupler in place with some lithium grease inside & everything mated up perfectly.
I gave the FEL a good workout to the point of the back wheels up in the air & still works.
Forgot to mention....before I installed the PTO shaft I installed a new fan belt as I can't change it later.
I know the pulley looks like **** but seems to work just fine even with the missing chunks as its not bent or anything.View attachment 560165
I still have the the new pulley, bolts & flange if this repair doesn't last but hopefully I wont need them.View attachment 560164

Replace pulley ! Those chunks will damage the v-belt in no time !

 

[pmsmechanic]

Instead of removing the whole front would it be easier to either lift the engine a bit or just use longer bolts and let the front end drop down a bit. Just some of my random thoughts.

Also I have used a Dremel like tool with a steel bit to take the edge off the broken out chunks just so that they don't chew the belt up. Honestly I'd be more worried about the pulley being out of balance now that those pieces are missing.

 

[jimwilly]

Thanks for the feedback, I am quite disgusted with myself about the damaged pulley. The damaged areas are only the thin lower 1/2 of the pulley, the top section is very thick & undamaged. I was happy the belt didn't just fly off once the engine was started.
I like the idea of the longer bolts to possibly move the front blue casting forward but the front drive shaft & steering etc. might not allow that without disconnecting them 1st. I have the proper Kubota WSM that might explain how to do this.
Another option is to send it off for repair on a trailer & a brand new tractor might come back!

 

[Soundguy]

impact guns almost always make easier work than the straight pull of a breaker bar, etc. Many times an impact gun will hammer out a bolt/nut that would otherwise twist off with a hard straight pull.

 

[jimwilly]

Well so far the FEL & fan belt are holding up just fine, mind you I have only added 5-6 hours on the machine but I was working it hard.
I did not make the fan belt super tight which I think might help the potential belt wear issue.
In my past career I would often see spare belts laying over a pulley shaft on HVAC systems. If my new belt does fail early (the previous one had 23 years service & was still working) I could install a few spares that could be slid into place after cutting off the damaged belt & not have to remove the PTO shaft/rad/hydraulic pump each time.
I checked my Kubota WSM & it looks fairly straight forward to split the tractor's front end except they don't take into account the FEL removal as well.

 

[aczlan]

If the felt fails, I would install a linked belt such as: Jason Industrial A-LINK-5 Accu-Link V-Belt Belting, 1/2 inch: Power Twist Belt: Amazon.com: Industrial & Scientific


Aaron Z